Tables turned
by gem1990
Summary: The mutant extermination act has just been passed. What will it mean for mutants everywhere?
1. tears of blood

Title: Death of mutants (This may change because I hate the title DOM)

Italics are flash backs

Rated R or M

Genre: Angst/adventure

Disclaimer: If I owned the X-men after writing a fic like this I would be lynched. Nope I don't own it, that goes to Stan Lee and Marvel

Warning: Graphic character death. May be a trigger for those who are, or recovering from SI. Underage everything.

Marie blinked back the tears as she sat on the bed of the cheap hotel room. 'they are all gone' kept echoing in her head. She pulled the sleeve up on her arm. She stroked her forearm with awe and curiosity. 'My skin looks just like everyone else. Yet it is so deadly. So different and wrong.'

"_MUTANTS HALT!" A camouflaged man yelled as he raised the gun. Pop Pop! Two shots fired and two friends dropped. The scream tore out of Marie's throat as she saw Jubilee and Bobby fall to the floor. She tried to run towards them but Logan grabbed her and pulled her into another room. "Stay here." He said as he climbed onto a chair and pushed a panel of the ceiling up and slid it out of the way. _

_He made a hand motion for her to come over to him and he quickly grabbed around her around her waist and hauled her up into the ceiling. "Lay down and don't move or the panels will break." He warned. _

"_Logan." She whispered nervously. Logan leaned up to kiss her lips briefly. Her mutation grabbed a small piece of his mind and she was suddenly mentally wrapped in his safety. He would die before letting her get hurt. _

Marie sobbed at the memory and brought the knife to her arm. The images of her friends falling to the ground, chests bleeding from the fatal wounds quickly staining their shirts red. The feel of Logan's sturdy arms pulling her away from the scene. Marie barely felt the blade bite deeply into her arm as she dragged it across her skin. She looked down at her arm and watched the blood trickle down her arm and drip onto her leg. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I should have died with you instead of hiding. I am so sorry."

"_The mutant extermination law has been passed. If you find a mutant you may call ###-###-#### to report the spotting or you may handle it yourself. Let me turn you over to Sheriff John Hutan" The TV announcer said on the TV. _

"_Handle it yourself? We aren't ants that can be killed just like that!" Bobby outraged._

"_They will be coming for us." Kitty said barely above a whisper._

"_Calm down and lets here what the sheriff has to say." Storm said but her voice betrayed her fear. _

"_These mutants are a pest. There is a $50 reward for every dead mutant brought to the police and fire stations." Sheriff Hutan continued with "They are a plague that must be destroyed before every one is infected with this disease." _

"_Ignorant fools. They should research before speaking." Hank growled angrily. Everyone was shocked to see the normally docile man so fired up and hostile._

_Suddenly the TV switched off and Professor Xavier spoke. "I fear there is nothing better on now. We must prepare for the worst. Everyone I want you to calmly go upstairs and pack your bags. You will all be going home."_

"_What about us? What are you gonna do for the ones who can't go home because they turned us out?" Pyro snapped at the bald man. _

"_You will come with us. We will separate until the government it more able to tolerate mutants. Then I will open the school again. To leave the school open now is simply making us an easy target for them. It is hard for me to say but it must be done. Now please go pack your-" Professor Xavier's words were cut off by the front doors of the mansion exploding and people running in. Flashbacks to Stryker went through everyone's head as they saw the camouflaged men enter the rec room. A gun went off and suddenly Xavier was on the floor and a puddle of blood began to slowly spread beneath him. Screams filled the air as students tried to fight the intruders. One by one they fell. Sometimes a bounty hunter would fall to the ground but for every one that went down two more ran through the door._

Marie tried to shake off the feelings but the bone deep icy numbness clung to her like a wet cape. She moved the blade an inch above the previous slice and pressed it into her skin. She didn't even flinch as the blade moved across her arm, parting the skin with ease. Images of her friends laying on the ground, dead and dying with their eyes still open filled her mind and she pressed harder. She gasped at the pain and watched the blood flow freely down her arm, soaking her pants. 'I should have stayed.' She thought as her head began to feel light.

_It had been silent for too long. Marie slowly slid the ceiling panel aside and peered into the room below. Seeing nothing she pushed it aside farther and dropped soundlessly to the floor. She crept to the door and looked out. Bodies littered the ground and she bit her lip to keep from throwing up. Her inner Logan was yelling at her to run but she was more cautious so she crept silently, stepping over the bodies of her fallen friends and class mates. 'What monsters could do this?' she wondered. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Jean's lifeless body on the ground covered by Scott's equally lifeless form. 'He was trying to shield her.' Marie thought with a painful wrench in her heart when she noticed all the bullet holes that littered the back of his shirt._

_A little ways farther she found John his lighter a mere inches from his outstretched hand. The tears by now were streaming steadily down her cheeks. She bent over and picked up his prized possession. She placed it in his hand and gently curled his cold fingers over it. Her body trembled as she tried to hold back the vomit yet she continued forward. She could hear stomping around above her head and figured that was where the men had went. She felt a little piece of her heart be pierced by every body that she passed. When she saw Storm's beautiful white hair smeared with blood by the remains of the front door, and Marie felt herself go numb. 'They are all dead. There is nobody left.' The thought hit her like a sledge hammer to the gut. She stumbled out the door and a unearthly scream erupted from her at the sight before her._

'Why couldn't you have just hid with me? At least I wouldn't have been alone.' Marie thought as she brought herself back to reality. But in her heart she knew that Logan never would have been able to stay put while his friends and family were killed. "You always were stronger than me Logan." She whispered as she put the knife lower on her arm and made another long clean cut. As much pain as the knife caused on her skin it couldn't even compare to the agony her mind and heart were in. Alone and hunted, she was broken beyond repair.

_Logan's body hung limply from a tree branch. His wrists were tied behind his back so he couldn't free himself. Marie couldn't bear the thought of what agony he must have went through as his body slowly suffocated. Surely his healing ability helped him live a few extra agonizing minutes as he hung, growing steadily weaker and weaker. 'I will take care of you.' Echoed in her mind as she ran blindly toward his body. She touched his wrists and felt the coolness of his skin. 'It's too late. He is dead beyond healing. The extermination is complete!' Magneto's harsh voice spoke in her head. Gunfire brought her crashing back into control and she ran as fast as she could through the trees._

_For two days she lived by running from hiding spot to hiding spot. Along the way she found out when reading a newspaper that Magneto, Toad, and Mystique had all been captured and killed. _

"Be happy. Every remaining mutant is now dead." Marie wrote on a slip of paper beside her before picking up the knife once more. She was already weak from blood loss and her hands trembled as she pulled the blade across her wrist, cutting deeply. She hissed from the pain and closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness enveloping her.


	2. Savior

Chap 2

Smelling the blood he kicked open the door. 'Damn' he thought when he saw her laying on the bed with her injured arm and knife. He could hear her heat beat weakening and he rushed into the room and but his bare hand on her face, wiling his healing ability into her. Her mutation was sluggish but it kicked in after a few seconds. "There we go." He whispered as her arm began to slowly heal. As he weakened further he pulled away from her. He shook his head to keep awake as he stumbled across the room.

"Wha? She moaned as she felt her body mend itself. A rush of thoughts filled her mind she tried to stay in control as the new personality battled for it's one piece of space in her mind. Her Inner Logan howled in rage when it saw the thoughts of Marie's new 'inner', as she called them.

Marie blinked and looked over at him. "What do you want with me?"

"We're the last two mutants out there. There may be more but most have been killed or committed suicide." At his words she felt fury burn in her. It was the first time she had felt any real emotion besides despair in the last two days and she clung onto it for dear life.

"So you just barge in here and decide to stop me? What? Do you personally want to turn in the bounty and get the $50 or is this just personal because you never saw me dead after Liberty Island?" She raged.

"Stupid woman! We are the last two mutants. We need to stick together. Don't you realize what the humans have done? They are so blind to the facts. We are the next link, as Eric used to say. We aren't a different breed of human at all. Two normal's are producing humans when they breed now. Give it 3 generations and all the world will be mutants. Or if they keep killing mutants the human/mutant race will go extinct. They will have to deal with us. Now we don't have time for this shit. We need to keep moving come on." He started walking for the door and turned to look at her. "Let's go." He growled.

"What makes you think for one second that I would go with you Victor Creed? You tried to kill me." She hissed angrily. She was angry beyond caring what he did. If he killed her then she had gotten what she had already planned on doing and if he left then she would just try again when his mutation faded away.

"Oh for Christ's sake. I wasn't going to let you die. Why do you think I was there? It wasn't just to protect Eric. Eric and I knew that you would be weakened after the machine so I was there to give you my strength. Eric would have done it himself but I couldn't transfer my healing to him like I can you. Now we don't have time for this let's go." He stated firmly with a hint of a growl at the end.

"I don't believe you." She said but the waver in her voice showed her lie as well as her scent.

"Bullshit. Besides, I'm in your head all you have to do is look and you will see I'm not lying. Now you have three seconds to get your ass over here or I will drag you out of this room by force." The look in his eyes made Marie believe that he would keep his threat and she rose to her feet and walked over to him.

'Maybe, just maybe there was hope. If what he said was true then… Then what?' She wondered as she stood before the tall mutant. Victor pulled off his long sleeve shirt and passed it to her. "Put this on. That blood draws too much attention." He instructed. She did as told and he gave her a lopsided grin.

Marie's inner Vic told her exactly what he was grinning about and she smacked him. "Stop thinking that!" she reprimanded with a small blush.

"Oh that is just way too hard." He said with a small leer.

"Perv." She growled.

Victor looked out the window before opening the door. "Did you just growl at me?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I have a triple dose of ferals running around my head. What do you think?" She snarled back.

"You'll do. You'll do." Victor laughed. He made a hand motion to follow him and suddenly he was making fast, long strides towards a pickup parked about 20 feet away. Fear gripped her but her inner Victor bellowed for her to move it or she would get them both killed. She walked quickly but didn't run. That would cause too much suspicion. 'You can make it just act normal.' Marie kept repeating to herself as she walked. She watched Victor ahead of her get into the pickup. She half expected him to pull away and leave her standing in the middle of the open parking lot. Her inner Victor growled at her for that thought. She slid in and breathed a sigh of relief once they started onto the road.

They drove for a while in silence until Victor spoke up. "I hate driving at the speed limit."

Marie broke down into giggles at the statement. All of the tension of the last week, watching the mutant extermination bill go before the court then carried out, just melted away more with every giggle.

Victor looked at her like she was crazy but he just grinned and looked back out on the road. "I'm- I'm sorry." She said between giggles. "I know you are being serious it just sounded funny."

He chuckled at her and reached across the seat to muss her hair. "HEY!" she shouted and swatted away at his hand. "I am not a kid. Don't do that." She snapped angrily.

Victor just kept chuckling. "So how old are you then? 16? 17? 18?"

"17." She answered snobbishly.

"You're old." He commented mockingly. Marie tried to keep her face stoic but she dissolved into giggles once more.

"Is this the teenage girl giggly thing or do you just do this all the time?" he half asked half joked. That sobered Marie right up as she thought of her dead friends back at the mansion.

"I haven't slept in four days. Sleep deprivation does that to me. First I get cranky then I get sad then giggly. Then I repeat until I get some sleep." She stated calmly. The image of Jubilee being shot flashed through her mind and a strangled sob tore out of her throat. Tear poured down her cheeks as she pulled her feet up onto the seat and rested her head against her knees.

She felt Victor lay a hand gently on her back and she sighed. "I keep seeing them be killed, over and over again. I just want it to stop."

"You aren't alone on this." His voices sounded gravely and Marie turned to see his face. She saw his eyes water slightly and a single tear roll down his cheek.

She closed her eyes and told her mind to go to sleep. As always it didn't work. Suddenly in her head there was a calm presence pushing her bad thoughts away, and silencing the other personalities. At first she thought it was her inner Logan but he always fought with Magneto. She delved deeper into her subconscious and saw her inner Vic guarding over her mind as she crouched in the corner shaking. "I've got you now. You will be safe." He promised.

"Logan once promised to keep me safe." She stated numbly.

"I couldn't keep that promise kid. I'm sorry. Sab-Victor here can keep ya safe though. Stickin' with him, as much as I hate to say it, will keep you safer than being out on your own." Her inner Logan admitted. She nodded and Logan suddenly came to attention. "I don't EVER want to see you wanting to kill your self do you hear me? You have lived through being kicked out, hitchhiking to a foreign country, being kidnapped, Magnet head's and my memories. You're tough. You will survive." Logan promised. Marie began to cry at his words and soon her inner Victor had wrapped his arms around her tightly.

She awoke from her dream to find the real Victor holding her. She shot him a questioning look but made no move to separate from him. "You were crying and we need to share body warmth. It will freeze tonight and I don't want you getting sick."

"Oh. Well you know I won't get sick, not for a few days until your mutation wears off." Marie replied. "But I'm cold so I won't complain." She added as she laid her head down on his chest. As they drifted off to sleep Marie began to think over the day's events. 'It's funny. This morning I was thinking he was a murderer but once in his head I realize he only killed the ones who had killed many and the law wouldn't stop them. Ok so maybe he enjoys killing the badies a little too much but everyone has their quirks. I thought he had tried to kill me but he had planned to save me all along. I hated him but now I am falling asleep on him.' She giggled softly at the last thought and Victor brought his hand down to rest on her butt.

"Go to sleep." He commanded.

"Sir yes sir." She mocked with a smile. She shrieked when she felt his claws unsheathe and dig in to her butt.

"Don't mock me and GO TO SLEEP." He commanded with a small smirk. "Besides you heal remember?"

"Jerk. My pants won't." She mumbled. She felt the vibrations of his chuckle travel through his body into hers and she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	3. Darkness in ones mind

Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: CHAPTER 3 HAS BEEN REWORKED. PLEASE READ IT BEFORE CONTINUING ON WITH THE STORY.

Victor looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms and breathed in deeply. Her blood burned his nose yet he could still make out the scent of her, wintry like the scent of fresh snow falling. The wind blew hard and the truck rocked gently, snapping Victor back out of his thoughts. The howl of the winds vaguely sounded like sirens and he had to suppress a shudder. Being as old as he was he had seen a lot of shit in his life but never anything like that.

_Bodies of children clinging to their mothers scattered with bullets labeled with a little hunting tag so some wanna be bounty hunter could get his fifty bucks. It sickened him. Even the mighty Wolverine had fallen. They had showed pictures on the TV about the school and Victor watched them show body after body of the X-men. "The very ones who tried to protect you from the likes of me and Eric you destroyed. You fools." Victor had snarled before throwing his beer bottle at the TV screen. The sound of the crash was satisfying to him as he left his hotel room. His skills at hiding from the law were put to good use as he snuck around the state to get to the remains of the mansion but even for him it was hard. He had killed several times on the day long trip just to keep himself from getting captured. People were all too quick to point him out as a mutant. When he got to the mansion the bodies had already been removed but the stench of pain, fear and anger still hung thickly in the air. Not even the winter breeze could remove the acrid scent of death that permeated the very ground he walked on. _

_He got a whiff of fear that wasn't laced with blood and his memory began to unwind as he tried to remember who it was. "Rogue." He whispered as he followed her scent through the wood. He found where she had rested for the night and kept on tracking her. For a full day without any stops he tracked her. He was afraid if he stopped he would lose her scent and something would happen to her. 'We are the last two mutants I have heard of or come across. It isn't safe for us to be separate.' He kept thinking. He tracked until his nose was full of pollutants and he could barely smell. Victor kept sneezing and trying to clear his nose so he could keep a fresh scent. Finally he found her room and the smell of her blood had sent chills down his spine. He didn't want to be the last mutant alive._

_When he saw her laying on the bed a thousand thoughts crashed through his head. He didn't care if he died saving her he just knew she had to live. 'One mutant has to live.' He told himself as he touched her. 'She can hide. Not like me who sticks out in a crowd.' When her heartbeat began to strengthen he sighed with relief._

An elbow to the chest roused him from his thoughts. Marie was twisting and turning over him and from the scent of things, she was having a bad dream. Victor let a slow purr rumble through his body and Marie jumped but quickly settled back down. She nuzzled her face into his shirt and Victor couldn't help the grin at how young she looked. 'I wonder how she looks when she smiles. I bet it is part prankster part seductress. Not smug like Mystique or goofy like Toad. Damn I am gonna miss Mort.'

_Victor strode quickly down the halls of the Brotherhood's lair, the stench of pain lingering in the air. Victor walked into the kitchen and he bit his cheek to keep from roaring his anguish. Magneto's body was tied to a chair and covered in blood. The once white ropes that held his body to the chair were now a rusty red from his blood coating them and drying. At his feet a small congealed pool of blood was evidence of his torture._

_Victor looked at the man he had first met over 50 years ago. "Goodbye my friend." Victor was once a mentor to the metal minded man and as he grew into Magneto Eric slowly began to become and equal to Vic. He taught Victor German and often saved Victor's hide when the police were after him. Victor could always just kill the people after him but Eric could talk him out of any situation. It pained Vic to see him go from brilliant to mad but he had too much history with him to try to stop Eric. So he went along with his schemes and offered his input where necessary. He could see that the age was affecting his mind and put himself in charge of making sure that all of his plans were as successful as possible without being noticed. The last thing he wanted was Eric to think that he thought he was growing feeble minded and useless. _

_Victor growled at the multiple cuts and bruises marring his skin. Eric's face was sliced almost beyond recognition and Victor knew that if he didn't leave the room now he would slip into feral mode. Down the hall he found Mystique's body. Her beautiful blue skin was now a creamy white from where the mutant hunters had injected her with the cure. All across her body there were bruises and from the smell of things Victor knew she had been raped multiple times before her death. Removing his cloak he covered her body as a sign of respect. 'She had more guts than any other woman I ever met. She was strong, beautiful, and intelligent. Her only problem was when she was scorned she was a backstabber.' _

_He continued down the hall and he couldn't help the anguished roar at the sight of his 'Brother' Toad. The amphibious mutant's legs had been literally torn from his body. Victor turned his back from the gory scene and walked to the main door of the lair. No bounty hunters would be able to collect money off their bodies. Victor opened the propane tank full bore and turned the furnace on timed mode. He stalked away from the building and he was at the edge of the woods by the time it exploded. The ground shook from the blast and he had the grim satisfaction of knowing that some bounty hunter was gonna be pissed._

Marie's fingers traced invisible patterns on Victor's chest and he was thankful for the interruption from his thoughts. 'Wow. She has the most incredible brown eyes. They are so thoughtful and deep,' he thought when he opened his eyes and saw her looking at his face.

"Bad dream." She said. Victor nodded and she sighed. She laid her head on his chest and held her breath till it aligned with Vic's. They lay their breathing in harmony for several minutes while they both thought about the situation. "So you ever think we will be okay again? Sure you may be right about the 'mutant is the next chain' thingy but I mean us as in you and I. My only real family was at Xavier's and they are all dead now."

Victor's chest rose with a deep breath and Marie felt incredibly small as she was lifted and lowered easily by the movement. His arms shifted around her and she felt her muscles relax a little more. "We'll live through it. And if we get through it, then we have a chance at being okay. We have each other, and in time we won't be alone." Victor's voice was slow and thoughtful and his words were like a salve to Marie's bleeding heart.

They lay there wrapped in each other's arms as the storm howled around the truck for what seemed like (seeming) forever before Marie's timid voice broke the silence. "You know, I would brave this blizzard barefoot for a beer right now if only I wasn't afraid of getting caught by a hunter. My hair. It, it kinda sticks out." Victor moved his arm off of Marie's back and he began digging around under the seat for something. The cool air hit the spot on her back where Vic's arm had been warming and she shivered.

"Ahh. Found it." Vic muttered under his breath. "Ya don't need to brave the blizzard." He waved a bottle of beer in front of her and she grabbed it out of his grasp before he even had the chance to finish the word blizzard. She placed the ridge of the cap on the edge of the dash and smacked the top of it with her palm. The lid flew off and as the brew began to fizz she took a large gulp.

"Cold even." She gasped, pulling the bottle from her lips. Victor's husky laugh filled the truck as he watched her face contort from the taste. "You may have the second hand taste and experience for beer but you still aren't used to it. And don't worry about your hair we will get you some hair dye until we get to my old cabin up north."

"What'll we do once we get to your cabin?" Marie asked innocently.

The look that crossed Victor's face told her exactly what he wanted to do but he refrained from voicing certain activities. "We'll survive. My cabin can support us for at least a year, so once we get there so we won't have to worry. It's pretty way out there too, so I can hunt for most of our food."

"Sounds nice." Marie's voice was thoughtful as she thought of the silence that must surround the cabin. Taking another gulp of beer she marveled at how it didn't sting nearly as much as it did the first drink.

"You gonna share that drink or keep it all to yourself?" Victor asked in amazement.

"So let's go get some more. This storm ain't so bad, this truck can get us through it to the nearest bar. We might even be able to find an old dingy one that doesn't mind mutants. Logan would sometimes spend a whole weekend traveling and fighting at bars. If you want I can try to dig through his memories and find a nearby bar." Marie pressed herself deeper into Victor's chest as if she wanted to crawl under his skin.

"No point in searchin' through his memories, the hunters have been everywhere and most likely the bars are filled with them. However-" He spoke as he leaned forward and sat up. Marie pulled off his chest with a little disgruntled "umph". He began speaking as he pulled his jacket off.

"I could make some cash fighting; I'll just have to be careful of who I fight with. I'll take the dirtier blows, make it look realistic and bloody. Limp outta there and all that, nobody'll be the wiser 'cept the height." Victor laid his jacket on top of Marie.

Hugging the jacket to her for warmth, her eyes when wide with surprise at his chivalrous gesture. "Thanks Vic." She whispered in awe of his actions.

"Don't look so shocked. You forget I grew up in times when men took care of their ladies. When a lady gets cold a man gives her his jacket. You open the door for her and stand when a lady enters the room. Manners and simple chivalry where common back then. I don't use manners most of the time now because I have a reputation to uphold, and besides most people don't even appreciate them. I do know them though." He winked and added "besides, it's more fun to be naughty." Marie made a small "eep!" when he pinched her butt.

"Pig." Marie slightly slapped his arm but she was smiling at him the whole time.

"Well don't go acting all frigid on me. You're 17, you're a woman now. If you were back even 150 years ago you would be married and have a kid by now." Victor responded playfully but truthfully.

"Yeah well this woman wants to get a move on. I feel like a sitting duck here. Even if I am warm now." Marie shot back.

"Fine." Vic growled. He sat up and swung his legs around to the seat and started up the pickup. Marie looked around for a few seconds as he pulled onto the road. The snow was still falling fast and hard not allowing more than 10 feet ahead of them. Yawning she stretched and laid back down on her side and rested her head on Victor's muscular thigh.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing using me as a pillow?" Marie didn't say anything but she twisted her head to face him and blinked her eyes sleepily. "Fine." He mumbled good heartedly. Soon her breathing evened out and he knew she was sleeping soundly. 'She certainly is beautiful.' Without thinking his hand drifted to her head and he absentmindedly stroked her hair as she slept.


	4. Fights

Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: CHAPTER 3 HAS BEEN REWORKED. PLEASE READ IT BEFORE CONTINUING ON WITH THE STORY.

A while later they pulled into a rundown bar that looked like it might collapse if someone sneezed near it. Looking down at his lap he stroked her hair softly. 'I need a haircut and she needs some dye before we go in there. I know I have some tiny scissors in the first aid kit in the emergency auto bag, Marie can cut my hair with those but what will we do with her hair? Maybe-' Victor began searching below his car seat and pulled a baseball cap out.

"Wake up, we need some cash and I gotta whiz." Victor's voice was gruff but Marie's inner Vic assured her he was most likely on edge because they were traveling out in the open. She leaned up so he could slide out from her and she instantly shivered when Victor's warm body exited the vehicle. Her enhanced hearing picked up on the sounds of Victor relieving his bladder and she shook her head and muttered "Men."

"Jealous babe?" Vic asked over his shoulder, tossing her a lopsided grin.

"Not really." She replied with narrowed eyes. Suddenly the bar doors opened and a middle aged man stumbled out drunkenly. Victor let loose an almost silent growl and sat back down in the truck. Closing the door quietly, as to not draw attention, he reached across Marie and jerked the auto emergency bag off the floorboard from under the seat. Quickly he pulled the first aid kit out and retrieved the scissors.

"Take the hat, and tuck your streaks into it so they don't show." Victor instructed as he pulled a hunting knife out of his boot. Marie quickly twirled her hair and tucked it under the worn but clean black baseball cap. Victor took the knife and gathered his hair into a pony tail and brought the blade right above his fist. With a few sawing motions his long curly hair hung limply in his curled fist.

"Oh Victor," Marie cooed as she reached for the hair. She wouldn't admit it but she always thought his long hair was a huge turn on and added to his ruggedness and masculinity. 'Not many men can pull off the long haired look.' She thought sadly as she put the hair in her bag on the floor of truck.

"It needs to be done. Will you trim my hair to look more average? I would shave my head but I don't think I could bring myself to do that." Victor's voice was weak, the picture of a modern Samson. Did that make her Delilah? No, most certainly not. In this tale Delilah wasn't any beautiful maiden, but a bunch of worthless hardened men. Marie nodded and retrieved the scissors from where they rested on his lap. She sat on her knees next to him and began the work of cutting his hair.

"I can't picture you bald." Marie admitted as she snipped his hair. "I have to warn you, this haircut won't be very good, I've never cut hair before."

"It will be better then what I could do." Victor replied bluntly

"Hmmm. I have a question. It's kinda personal, I tried asking the inner but he couldn't explain it clearly. I think my brain is trying to shut down it's so hungry. I haven't eaten since the morning of the attack so its been…" she paused to count "58 hours." She said as she gently moved Victor's head to cut the back of his hair.

"Shit! With sustaining that healing ability, and healing from those wounds you need to eat. Why didn't you just take something when you were on the run?" His voice was incredulous but he knew what her answer would be before she spoke(answered).

"Vic, uh, I was raised in a small Baptist community, I have never stolen anything in my life. I don't think I could steal something if I wanted too. I was raised you'd burn in the eternal fires for such things. Then again I was raised that families were supposed to support each other and always love them. My family obviously missed that memo. Soon as my mutation hit I was kicked out on the road. My whole town turned on me." She became quiet as she thought about her past.

Victor's growl interrupted her thoughts. "Bastards."

"Yeah well I survived." She responded in an icy numb tone.

"You'll survive this too." Victor's voice was strong with belief.

"You will too. Now turn the other way so I can get the left side of your head."  
He shifted as much as he could but she was still at an awkward angle as she tried to cut his hair.

"Watch the ear, now I may heal but it doesn't mean I don't feel the pain. Come here and sit on my lap so you have better access." He lifted her easily and slid her onto his lap. Now at a better angle she began to trim the other side of his head. "Now what was that personal question?" Victor asked as he tried to suppress his body's natural reaction to her slender fingers combing gently through his hair.

"Your eyebrows, how come they were so bushy before?" She asked. Victor opened his mouth to answer her but Marie's stomach growled loudly. "Sorry." She whispered as her face flushed beet red.

Victor's robust laugh filled the truck and Marie smiled. Turning so she could straddle Victor she gently lowered herself onto his lap once more. She started snipping hair to make sure it was even and Vic began to explain.

"If I let the beast, Sabertooth, run free my feral features show more. My eyebrows grow longer, my fangs will grow more and my eyes stay dark instead of the brown they are now. Before I didn't suppress my feral side at all so that's why I looked different." She had been comparing the left and right side of his head closely while he spoke. She gave it one last look and looked him in the eyes.

A gentle smile slid over Marie's features as she got off his lap. "I like your eyes. That golden brown is very fitting for you." She said thoughtfully. Victor flipped down the visor and turned his head to look at the hair cut.

"Good job on the hair." Victor complimented as he opened the door and stepped outside. Marie's inner Vic told her that he seldom gave out praise, but when he did he always meant it. "Get out here." He directed as he dug into the bed of the pickup. Marie hopped out and went around to stand by him. She stood as close as she could to him because his body blocked some of the wind and snow away from her.

Pulling out one of his black sleeveless shirts and a gallon of water he leered at Marie. "Take your shirts off." He instructed.

"WHAT! It's freezing out here!" She protested loudly as she shot him death glares. Her inner Logan and Victor both snapped at her to hurry up and that wearing bloody clothes was like painting a target on them. Victor dusted the stray hairs off his jacket as if he had all day for her to stand there. Grabbing her sleeves she tugged off her shirts and threw them in the back of the pickup. She stood shivering in her sports bra as Victor looked her up and down.

"Come on I'm freezing!" She snapped through chattering teeth. Victor took her arms and poured the slushy water over her arms to wash away the blood. "Good god Vic you trying to give me frostbite?" she complained as her body shivered violently. He kept pouring the icy water over her arms until they were milky white and clean like the rest of her.

It used up almost the whole gallon of water and by the time he was done Maries arms where almost numb and covered in goose bumps. When Victor handed her the shirt she couldn't dive into it fast enough. "Its not very warm Vic." She groused. Victor pulled out his knife again and cut the shirt to where it hung an inch below the top of her jeans.

"There. Now you look like you belong in a bar." Victor remarked as he gave her a final once over. Marie stepped closer to Victor and slid her arm around his waist underneath his jacket. In turn Vic swung his arm around her waist and they walked across the parking lot and into the bar.

Inside was a haze of smoke that burned their eyes and made everything seem eerie. Marie gripped Victor tighter but she pasted on a look of nonchalance and confidence. Victor pushed her gently onto a barstool and eyed the ring in the back. "I'll be back." He whispered into her ear as he wound his arms around her thin waist. He nuzzled her neck and added. "Make it look good." He stood and walked away but not before Marie slid her hand over his back and down to cup his butt. Victor barely concealed his surprise at the action.

"Hurry back baby." She drawled in a heavy southern accent. He turned and grinned wolfishly at her, but the smile almost dropped off of his face when she crossed her legs and leaned a little back, the action making her breast jut outward. She smiled a heartbreakingly seductive smile that made her eyes seem to glow with lust that would make any man feel like he was god of the universe. His smile barely faltered before he turned and strode off towards the bar attendant.

Marie was too far away to hear their conversation but she was sure it was about fighting. Suddenly she felt a hand cup her butt and she whirled around to glare at the man who dared to touch her.

He stood about 5'8" and had long light brown greasy hair that hung right above his shoulders. His eyes held a lust that sickened Marie. "Heya babe, ya look cold, want me ta warm ya up?" he offered as he walked from behind her to beside her. He leaned against the bar and leered at her some more.

"No thanks." She replied coolly. Looking past Mr. Grease Ball she spotted Victor across the room. He was watching the way she handled the situation. She shot him a look that said "Stay back, I wanna handle this guy myself." She had the chance to follow through with that thought when he dared to reach out and stroked her hair. "Hey back off." She snapped angrily.

"Oooh, any one ever tell you you're sexy as hell when you are all fired up like that?" He laughed as he reached for her arm. Within a blink she shut off her mutation. No sooner had his finger tips touched her arm then her hand smacked him across the face, hard. He and his buddies who had gathered around her laughed and suddenly she was pressed against the bar with Mr. Grease Ball all but lying on top of her. "Ooh you are a feisty one. We'll have fun breaking you." He said as he licked her neck. Marie snarled and spit into his face. "You Bitch!" he reared back and wiped his face. His fist curled tightly as he pulled it back ready to strike. She flinched, waiting for the blow but it never came.

She heard Victor's voice rumble "You wanna fight do it with a guy."

Marie opened her eyes and saw Victor's hand grabbing the fist that was only a foot away from her face. On closer inspection the hand was bright red and bent at and odd angle in Victor's grip. Victor released his hand and gave him an evil grin.

"I bet you $100 dollars I could kick your ass in the ring." He said confidently. Now that Victor was all trimmed he looked no scarier than any other guy in the bar. Sure he was tall and muscular but there were several other guys that fit that description in the room. As soon as Victor's challenge had been spoken the room erupted. Cheers and bets were being yelled left and right and Marie tried to shut out her heightened senses. The loudness was giving her a head ache and the smells of sweat, greed and blood lust that filled the air was making her sick to her stomach. 'Why don't they just have a pissing contest?' she thought snidely as the mass of men and bar bitches surrounded the ring.

Marie turned back to the bar and grabbed a handful of pretzels. The barman asked her what she wanted and she ordered a Bud Light. She sipped hip beer as she watched Victor strip down to his jeans and enter the ring.

'My god he's got a body to kill for.' She thought breathlessly as she watched him flex his muscles in preparation for the fight. The slime ball opponent entered the cage shirtless as well and Marie tried not to spit out her beer laughing. His beer gut was sprinkled with a few silver hairs and it jiggled with every step he made. His arms however, had some definition, and as he made a few practice swings Marie remembered that Vic was gonna get hurt in this fight. The announcer announced Vic as "Jacob" and the other guy as "The Brick".

The first blow was by "The Brick" and it caught Vic right in the mouth. He staggered back and spit out some blood as well as a tooth. The crowd went crazy at the sight of first blood and Marie made a face. 'You would think they were all starving vampires.' She thought as the fight continued.

Victor was matching blow for blow and he was doing a good job at taking the bad blows. To Marie who had watched him fight at full strength she could see that he was holding back but to the crowd all they saw was a well matched fight. After about 15 minutes "The Brick" crumpled to the floor with a well placed foot. Marie's inner informed her that Victor was getting tired of dealing with this guy so he took him out before his claws unsheathed. He may have self restraint but it has limits.

All night the fights went that way 'till a blood covered and very weary acting Victor staggered out of the ring. Seeing that it was the last match, Marie had already walked over to the ring and gathered his belongings. She played along and gathered his earnings for him then helped him limp outside.


	5. The Law of Survival

CHAPTER 5

Outside the snow blew so hard they couldn't even see where they had parked. After carefully tracing their way back to the pickup Victor pulled a tarp out from beneath the seat, he stretched it over the seat and sat down. Marie ran to the other side and hopped in. "You ok?" she asked as he started the truck and carefully backed out.

"Growing in teeth is pretty damn painful but besides that yeah. Wanna grab me some of those baby wipes from beneath the seat to wipe this blood off?" Victor said with a grim look on his face.

"Sure." She replied with a smile as she dug them out. "Sheesh Vic, how many things do you have stashed under these seats?" Her tone was joking and light to cover her growing concern.

"Quit worrying about me, my ribs and jaw are healing now and my teeth will be next. Spending 2 hours taking blows like that wears the healing down a bit. We'll stop at a gas station in a little bit. You will have to go in because this blood has pretty much set into my skin and it will take a while to get it cleaned off. We need food. Take a $50 outta the winnings and spend it on the stuff we need. The me in your head should tell you what we need." Marie nodded at his words as she pulled the money out. She left the rest of the cash by him on the seat. Leaning her head back she realized that she was still tired.

She blinked and the next thing she knew they were stopping under some trees near a gas station. "Wha?" she asked gruffly. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What's wrong?"

"I have to wash most this blood off of me. I am gonna throw on my jacket and get some more gas while you shop." Victor began to wipe his arms and Marie unbuckled her seatbelt.

"I gotta pee so can I go in now?"

Victor shook his head. "Gimme a few seconds and we'll be at the gas station, people will wonder if they see you walk all the way over there from this direction, then I drive up." She growled subconsciously and shifted in her seat. Victor shrugged on his jacket and pulled into the station. Marie grabbed her purse and all but ran inside. Inside she took care of her bodily functions and washed her face and underarms quickly. Heading back out she slipped the $50 into her pocket.

A quick scan of the ceiling showed one camera angled towards the front of the store. The clerk was taking care of the rather slow but steady stream of people coming in. There was one mirror in the back but all she had to do was turn her back to it and no one could see what she was doing. Marie's inner Logan spoke up at that moment. "Marie, darlin' you gotta do it. Ain't nobody gonna call you a bad girl for takin' some stuff to eat. You need to save that cash for when ya need it. If some thin' happens to Sabe-Victor you need to have some cash on you."

Magneto also had some words to add to that. "He is right my dear. We are the superior kind even if they don't see it. You are the next generation and you need to succeed, so take the food and live." Marie shut her inner voices out at that.

Holding herself like a regular person she walked over to the isle which held all the beef jerky. Opening her purse she turned her back to the mirror and began grabbing the jerky and cramming it into her purse. She chose carefully making sure that the packs she took were not filled with air and wouldn't crinkle in her bag. 'Thank goodness my purse is so big; I love this tube style purse.' She thought as she walked back to the beer cooler. Her inner Vic was purring with her cleverness as she grabbed a couple beers from every brand they had. 'I wonder if this bag shows? It cinches up by the top and that is under arm so stuff wont show much if anything. I still have about 4 inches of room to cram stuff so I better grab some drinks for myself. Oooh coffee drinks.' Marie grabbed 2 energy drinks and 2 coffee drinks and slid them into her bag. Walking down the candy isle she stuffed her pants pockets with random candy bars. 'Candy is high calorie and calories equal energy right?' she tried to reason with herself but her guilt still was eating at her. Her inners told her she was doing right but she was still nervous.

Walking over to the hot coffee she made one with lots of cream and sugar for herself and she made one with lots of sugar and a little cream for Victor. She carried the coffees up to the cash register and smiled at the brunet woman who was ringing her stuff up. 'She's probably in her 30s, pretty hair, I like how it curls but her lipstick is way too bright for her skin tone.' Marie thought as she pulled out the money.

"Need anything else honey?" She asked in a squeaky voice.

"Yeah, 6 of those 2 for a dollar corn dogs." She grinned sheepishly at the woman's odd look. "I got a husband and a dog ta feed." She lied easily.

"Ohh that makes sense." The clerk responded cheerily. 'glad she bought that.' Marie handed her the cash and waited for her change patiently. Walking outside to Victor she had to restrain herself from skipping. She had done it!

"What the hell took you so long?" he demanded as he took the coffee she offered to him.

"Sorry, I was deciding what to get." She answered as she sat down and closed the door behind her.

Taking a sip of his coffee he grinned, it was just how he liked it. "Thanks for the coffee."

"My inner Vic told me how to fix it. Here let me get you your change." She wiggled around in her seat trying to get at the change without spilling her coffee. Finally she huffed and put her coffee in the beverage holder and tried again.

"Don't worry about the change. You need some cash anyhow in case anything happens and we get separated." Victor said with a bark of laughter.

"Now you tell me." She answered with fake bitterness. Grabbing her coffee she took a long drink. "I bought corn dogs." She grabbed to dogs for herself and set the others down on the seat between them.

"Good, I'm hungry." With no more words than that he grabbed a bag and quickly started devouring the hot food.

Wiggling in her seat Marie made a noise of discontent. Opening her purse she started emptying the candy out of her pockets. Victor, hearing the noise she made turned to watch her. "Good god woman how many candy bars did you buy?"

"Do you want one? My inner you was useless when I asked him what type of candy you like." Finally she had emptied her back and side pockets of the candy and she sat back down with a satisfied smile.

"I don't eat candy, Toad tried to get me to eat gummies and sour stuff but I thought it was disgusting." Marie's jaw dropped like she had just seen him do a pirouette in a tutu.

"There are more candies then sour and gummy, there is chocolate, my favorite, and then there is taffy and hard candy and soft candy and sheesh! There are lots of types of cadies. Why didn't you every try candy before?"

"I guess I don't know what I am missing and don't really care to learn." He answered after a moment to think. The sound of a package being opened broke the silence and a new scent filled the truck.

"I think Mystique used to eat that stuff." He commented as she took a bite.

"Well she was a female so that doesn't surprise me. Women LOVE chocolate. Here try a bite." She broke off a chunk and held it out for him.

"No thanks." He replied after eyeing the brown little brick.

A pout fixed itself onto Marie's features and Victor would swear he saw her bottom lip quiver and she held it closer to his face. "Come on and try it, I think you'll like it." Seeing that he wasn't budging she pulled out the big guns. Her inner Victor protesting loudly she began to mock him. "Come on you big baby, it's not gonna eat you. You chicken?" He moved so fast she didn't even see him come at her.

AUTHORS NOTE: Well what do you all think? Sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. Life has been really hectic and I have to admit the X-men spark is quickly fizzeling for me. I will however finish this story and ESSC (which is still a WIP) so don't worry. 


	6. parking lot woes

CHAPTER 6

His sharp fangs grazed her skin as his mouth closed in around her finger tips. She squealed in surprise and jerked her hand back leaving the chocolate in his mouth. Her heart was still pounding rapidly trying to get out of her ribcage when he started laughing. "You're right. Chocolate is pretty good."

"Damn you." She muttered breathlessly as she put the open chocolate bar next to him. Grabbing her coffee she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.

Victor's husky voice broke the silence of the road. "I won't take the rest of your candy bar."

Marie raised her hand and waved in an offhand manner signifying for him to take it. "I have more." She said lazily before she downed the last of her coffee. She could hear him pick up the candy bar and begin to eat it as a tired smile crossed her face. 'Today I traded my soul for a few beers and a candy bar. Oh well, if we make it through all this I'll go back to church and ask for forgiveness.' She thought sadly.

"Let me know when you finish your coffee and need another drink." She offered as she felt around her purse to locate one of her drinks.

"Unless you got a beer in there I'm not really interested." He responded dully. "I will pick up some beer next time we stop."

As Marie fished through her bag to find a beer she thought about something. "Hey Victor, do you mind if we stop at a mall later tomorrow? Or today since its 2AM already." Victor opened his mouth to answer her just as she pulled the beer out and held it in front of him. His mouth snapped shut and he eyed her warily.

"You bribing me?" he asked as he quickly twisted the cap off.

"Only if it'll work." She responded smartly with a raised eye brow.

"How'd you manage to buy a beer? You can't even buy smokes yet."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him "Quit dodging the question."

"What do you need at the mall?" He said mall like it was a disease ridden rodent and Marie smiled knowing she'd won.

"Well if we are to look like a normal vacationing couple we need a bag, I at least want a duffle bag like I used to have just so I can keep a change of clothes in it. And if you had one too you could keep all that stuff under the seat in it. And to be quiet frank with you beyond all that I NEED some more underwear and bras."

"Sounds reasonable. You can shop while I nap in the truck." He agreed. Marie sighed in relief thinking she could actually change her clothes for the first time in four days. "Now get some sleep because you are going to be driving later on tonight.

"Ok." She agreed. With a small smile she turned in the seats to rest her head on Victor's lap once more and she was soon asleep.

Victor yawned as he forced his eyes open. Only then did he realize that she still hadn't answered HOW she had bought the beer. 'I am going to have to tell her to pick up some clothes for me too. I only need one or two changes because I have a whole closet full of clothes for me at the cabin but she will need some extras.'

The next few hours dragged on with him lost in thought while Marie slept soundly on his lap. She began to stir around 6:30AM as the sun shone down on her. Looking up at him she blinked a few times before quickly sitting up.

"Victor pull over, I am gonna drive now, you need some sleep." She commanded gently as she stroked the side of his face lightly. As a testament to how exhausted he was he pulled right over and got out. They switched sides and they were off. Without a word Victor fell asleep.

Yawning Marie looked over and shook her head at how tired he looked. 'So selfish Marie, sleeping yesterday afternoon then this morning/night and letting him drive the whole time.' she continued to berate herself until a soft snore distracted her. Biting her lip to stifle her laughter she turned her attention back to the road. 'I never thought I'd be laughing again.'

Her emotions were still in a jumble when she pulled into a mall and parked in the back of the lot. "We at the mall?" Victor asked gruffly as he sat up and looked around.

"Yeah, you go back to sleep, I'm going shopping." She instructed gently.

"$100 enough for your stuff?" he asked as he pulled the lump of money out of his pocket. **

"Yeah." She agreed as he pulled a bill outta the wad of cash, and tucked the rest back into his pocket. Marie grabbed her purse and quickly unloaded it onto the floorboards. Victor was already sound asleep so he didn't even see the pile of junk she had stashed. Walking into the mall she realized how dangerous her situation was. She flipped her skin off again and walked into Sears. She found the luggage area and picked out two bags, one blackish grey one for Victor and a tan brown one for herself.

She found a corner that wasn't occupied and ripped the tags off the bags. Throwing her purse and Victor's duffle bag in her new bag she stood up and began to walk around. She picked out several practical but pretty shirts and pants in her size and took them into the dressing room.

Thankfully there was no one to count out how many things she carried into the fitting rooms. She carefully used her small pocket knife to pry the security tags away from the fabric, once done she threw the clothes in her bag minus one outfit which she changed into. She put her hand on the handle to leave the dressing room when she realized her bag looked brand new. She reached down and grabbed some dust that had been gathering on the floor and rubbed it all over her bag. Smiling confidently she left the dressing room and continued shopping.

She went to several stores filling the bag to the maximum. Jewelry, toiletries, underwear and bras, Marie got everything she could think of. Going by the men's department she realized that Victor needed some clothes. Quickly she picked out 4 outfits and ripped the tags off of them. She shoved them into her bag and strode quickly but calmly out of the store and outside into the sunshine. Crossing the parking lot three men started to block her path. "Hey babydoll. Wanna play?" one asked lewdly. They formed a half circle around her and they continued to taunt her. "Give me some sugar angle face." "Oooh see that guys she is starting to get mad Oooh." They mocked.

"Back off." She said loudly and sternly.

"Make me." The first one said as he stepped up to her. The next thing he knew he was flying through the air before crashing into the back of a nearby car. The other two guys ran at the strange man but he knocked them out in short time.

"Thanks." Marie said as she inched around the blocky man.

"My dear, you know me, don't be afraid of me." He said with a slightly recognizable accent.

"I think you have me confused with someone else." Her fear was evident in her voice and as she turned she saw a familiar face. "K-" she began but the other woman shook her head violently making her dyed red hair bounce around her face.

"This is Jane my wife, and my name is Tomas." 'Tomas' offered his hand and walked towards her. Suddenly it clicked. 'They survived. But how?' Marie's mind was racing as she shook his hand and hugged 'Jane.'

AUTHORS NOTE: Well? What do you all think? I enjoyed writing this but I want to know if ya all enjoyed reading them.


	7. a new way of running

CHAPTER 7

AUTHORS NOTE: we are getting so close to the end but we aren't there yet. What do you all think?

"So how are you two doing?" Marie asked cryptically.

"Not well, we are moving around a lot trying to find a place that feels like home." 'Tom' said dejectedly.

Without a thought she opened her mouth and said "Do you have a car?" They shook their heads no, and she looked over at the pickup. "You can ride in the back of the pickup." She offered. The two old friends looked at each other and mutually agreed.

"We would love to." 'Jane' agreed. They all headed for the truck and Marie opened the door. She gave a 'be silent' finger over her lips and unzipped her duffle bag, she shoved last night's loot into the bag and tossed the bag into the back of the pickup. She jerked her head at the pickup and they got in silently. They both peered into the pickup but couldn't recognize who the other person was.

Marie started up the pickup and drove off slowly. Victor mumbled sleepily "Get what you need?" and Marie grinned, "Yep."

An hour later she pulled into an old pull off for a hiking trail and got out. "Hop out" she instructed the riders in the back as she pulled her duffle bag out. Victor jumped out of the pickup and started at the others like he was going to kill them. "Vic please, they are my friends. I need to help them." He glared at them for a moment before switching his heated glare to her.

"Explain." He growled as he pointed to a picnic table set at the edge of the woods. No sooner had they sat down when 'Jane's' stomach rumbled.

"When was the last time you ate?" Marie asked softly when the other girl flushed red with embarrassment.

"Hank and I have been stealing food where we can, a granola bar here, a candy bar there. He said that when in emergency situation you disregard the laws of the land and live by law of survival." Kitty explained. "It's been about 14 hours since I ate last." She added after a moment to count. *

"Sheesh girl. Give me a second I have some spare food." Marie said as she dug out a handful of candy bars, granola and beef jerky packages. She dumped them onto the table and pulled out a few beers and the rest of her drinks. They pile was soon gone as everyone took a drink and a few snacks.

Victor shot her a questioning glance and she shrugged. "I'll save the cash for when we really need it. I'm living by survival rules. Which reminds me. I got you a duffle bag and some more wipes to get the rest of the blood off of you plus clothes." Marie answered as she opened a beer and took a swig. Kitty stared at her as she drank the beer and she laughed. "What kit-kat? It's not like I can get drunk, well it would take a hell of a lot more then one beer to get me drunk. Ohh yeah, I absorbed Vic." She said the last part quietly in a way that said 'don't ask why'

"So what happened? Why didn't I see you at the mansion? How did you get this far?" Marie's questions tumbled out as fast as the thoughts popped into her head.

"Kitty phased us underground and got us into the forest but they had that swarming with dogs so we went farther into the forest. We kept going until we got to town. I found a few cure darts on the way and injected myself so I wouldn't stand out. The cure only last for a few hours though and I have to keep injecting myself or we will be found out. My hypothesis is the cause of the cure's shortness is due to the fact that my mutation includes accelerated healing." Hank replied calmly.

"So you think you are gonna just go with us?" Victor asked through narrowed eyes.

"Victor! They need our help. We can't leave them now, what about that whole 'we need to stick together.' bit you were all to happy to spit out at me back in the hotel room when you stopped me from killing myself!" as soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.

"You tried to kill yourself?" Kitty asked in shock. Taking another swig of her beer she decided she might as well explain. An hour later all of their stories had been told and they decided to keep moving, together.

That night at the fight club Hank fought too and both woman sat at the bar talking. "So you and Victor are a thing huh? I can tell by the way you two constantly touch and are always right next to each other." Kitty wasn't accusing just commenting and Marie thought for a moment.

"Trauma brings people together. I guess we were there for each other and that brought us together. What about you and Hank?" Marie replied with a raised eyebrow and a lopsided smile.

"Yeah, we were there for each other and he is sweet. We both like to read and are homebodies, we fit together." Kitty replied thoughtfully. They winced when Victor had been shoved into the cage with Hank. "This is going to be bad." Kitty replied after a minute.

After a few blows it looked like Hank was gonna meet a bloody painful end. "NO!" Marie yelled above the shouts and boos when Hank dropped down on one knee. Victor, hearing her cry looked up and scanned the crowd to see where she was. He saw her eyes flash with anger as he raised his fist up again. She shook her head no and turned again to face the bar. The crowd roared behind her and she about choked on her beer when she heard the announcer announce "Hellman Henry" as the winner.

Marie whirled around to see Victor be dragged out of the cage seemingly unconscious. "He just let Hank win." Kitty whispered in awe. When Victor pretended to come around and staggered to the bar Marie grinned at him from ear to ear like he was king of the world. She leapt into his arms and without a thought kissed his lips gently.

"Thank you" she murmured as she pulled back. His arms wrapped around her waist and he held her to him.

"Thank YOU." He whispered back. Their travel companions snickered at the sight but their arms went around each other's waist affectionately.


	8. One bar's the same as the next, right?

CHAPTER 8

The next few days they spent running from bar to bar, sleeping during the day at small run down hotels. Even though Hank was taking the cure sporadically and only when in public it weakened him to where even the slightest injury could be threatening. All money was pooled together and divided equally and everyone carried their money on their person in case of emergency. The women were in charge of filling the duffels with food and clothes for everyone and they came to a mutual agreement that they stole everywhere that was safe.

As Hank had put it "We need to take care of ourselves first, we can go back to paying for our merchandise later on. As it is, all the cash we have we need for cars and things that we cannot steal." Everyone agreed that it was a good idea since they still needed a 4 door pickup. They had taken to having Marie sit next to Victor who was driving, and then have Hank on the other side of her with Kitty on his lap. Not very safe but it was warmer than being in the cold. They were not going to buy another vehicle until they could all have a few hundred dollars on them for an emergency.

They were at another dumpy road stop when trouble began. Marie was sitting at the bar sipping a beer with Kitty while the guys went around to stir stuff up. Hank, while no longer blue fuzzy and fanged, stood at 6'1 and was very stocky. Bar floosies were always hanging on him much to Kitty's chagrin but he didn't draw very much attention like Victor. Victor stood at 6'6 and his angular face always seemed to be ready to curl into a snarl. Men feared him, well men sober enough to think feared him. The girls walked ahead of the guys this night as to not be seen with them in case of trouble. They had been in there for 10 minutes when trouble tapped on Marie's shoulder. Turning around Marie blew her all blond hair out of her face with a quick breath.

"Yah?" She asked with an air of irritation. 'Never show 'em fear' Logan whispered inside her head.

"You look like you're here for a good time. Wanna go for a walk?" He asked as he ogled her chest.

"No thanks, I'm just here to watch the fights." She replied calmly as she scanned the bar briefly. 'Where is Vic?' she thought with a pang of fear when she realized the guy wasn't moving and was now sporting a pissed and skeptical expression.

"You one of them women who like to fuck the winners?" He asked with disgust.

"Tonight I plan to." Marie replied with a smirk. They had already discussed it and tonight it was Victor's night to win.

"That so?" the sleaze ball asked with a look that said he'd prove otherwise.

Victor's voice was gravely as he said "Yeah." Marie chuckled as her would be suitor turned around and muttered "Shit".

"Hey baby." Victor greeted Marie with a deep kiss that made her cheeks flushed red red and her knees go weak.

"You gonna be in the ring?" Victor asked as he turned the other guy who was slowly inching away.

"Probably not." He squeaked.

"Get lost and stay away from my girl." Victor growled as the smaller guy turned around and beat tracks back to his booth. Marie and Victor, using their enhanced hearing could hear him whining to his buddies about the "Frankenstein ass hole" and "Blond Bitch."

Victor chuckled and whispered, "It's too bad he ain't gonna fight. I would have enjoyed pounding him."

"Yeah it is too bad." She agreed wistfully. He growled to get her attention and she turned to look him in the eyes. He captured her lips in a way that showed everyone around she was his and then pulled back.

"Stay with Ginna and stay in my sight." He warned as he walked off. Ginna was Kitty's code name for the night as Victor insisted on everyone having. Every night they got new nicknames and every week the plates changed on the truck. Victor had even dyed his hair jet black but because of his mutation it started showing roots quickly and they had to go back over it with blond. Victor was getting worried they were being predictable so he started varying the times in which he drove a day. Sometimes he would have someone driving at all times for 30 hours and then they wouldn't drive at all for one day. He kept saying "If we always put in so many miles every day then the hunters will be able to figure out our route. It's dangerous." That's why tonight was the last night they were going to fight. There was only 4 maybe 5 days drive to Victor's cabin left and Victor wanted the hunters to have no clue as to where they were going.

The fights were particularly brutal tonight and Hank was beaten unconscious three guys in, which was really rare. Marie watched on the edge of her seat as Victor tried hard to keep his mutation a secret while trying to win fight after fight. Suddenly and arm wrapped around her waist and a hand clapped over her mouth.

"Ump eee!" was all she could managed to get out as she screamed for Victor to help her. The sound was so muffled though she doubted it would be heard over the roar of the crowd. Her eyes darted around to locate kitty but she was across the room tending to Hank who was still out cold.

Suddenly there was a sickening crunch in the ring and the crowd parted like the red sea. Silence swept through the crowd as Victor stormed through the throng of people towards Marie who was still struggling in the arms of the guy who hassled her earlier. Her eyes were darting around in fright and when they settled on Victor's pitch black eyes she knew he would save her. The man holding her let go of her and she fell to the floor in an ungraceful heap with a soft grunt on impact. Victor growled as his feral nature gave into the chase and he bound across the 10 feet between him and the other guy and grabbed his neck in one hand lifting him inches off the floor and one of the guy's hands as it flailed around in his other.

"What did I tell you about keeping away from my girl? And now I catch you with your filthy hands on her?" Victor squeezed the guys hand and smiled in satisfaction as he heard the bones grind together then crunch under the immense pressure. The guy screamed in pain and tried to hit Victor in the face with his other hand. Victor caught the other hand as it neared his face and repeated the movement. As he dropped him to the ground Victor sneered at the smaller man who had ceased screaming but was now wailing and grunting loudly in pain. "You're lucky. It could have been your throat." Turning to look at Marie who was now standing he smiled, "You okay?"

"I'm fine now, thanks." She said as she sidled up next to him and draped her arms around his neck. He leaned over and kissed her gently then led her up to the ring to sit right in the front row. Sliding between the ropes of the ring he looked at the guy who was still unconscious from the blow earlier. As soon as he had heard Marie's voice (muffled as it was, he knew it was her) his feral side took over. One blow to the head and the other guy was out. "Somebody get this piece of trash outta this ring, I have more ass to kick." He bellowed and cheers went up everywhere. Quickly the guy was removed and the fights resumed.

About an hour later Hank had come around and he, Kitty and Marie were all sitting together waiting for Victor to pick up his earnings. "You should have been there. I think the guy must have peed himself. Though that HAD to hurt." Kitty rambled on to Hank as she told him what happened while he was out for the count.

"Why didn't you offer your assistance?" He asked bluntly as he tried to wrap his mind around how much trouble they were all probably in now.

"I couldn't I was all the way across the room with you when I noticed Victor hop out of the ring. And I wasn't about to get in the way of Victor and Marie when he looked so pissed." Kitty explained. Just then Vic arrived with his cash. Quickly dividing it up into 4 chunks he stuck one in his pocket and gave the others their wads.

They walked to the door and as Marie pushed it open she stopped suddenly. "Fuck."

AUTHORS NOTE: Well? Does anyone wanna know what comes next?


	9. discovery

CHAPTER 9

The parking lot was empty for but three cars. Their truck was burning and on the side of it in neon blue spray paint said "FREAKS!" Victor ran towards the truck to see if there was anything salvageable and he pulled a tool box out of the back and Marie heaved a sigh of relief. At least Vic made them all carry their bags in with them in case of an incident like this. "Um, how are we going to go anywhere now?" Kitty asked as they walked towards the flaming vehicle.

"Hitch hike." Marie said with a frown.

"Four of us trying to hitch hike all at the same time? That will be almost impossible. Do we have enough cash to buy another car? Or could we like." Kitty lowered her voice so only they could hear her. "Take one?"

"We wouldn't have enough cash to buy what we need as well as a car. And stealing one would look suspicious. We'll split up and meet in Rapid Springs two days from now. Hitchhike, steal cars, whatever. Just make sure you're at Sarah's diner by 6PM or we go on without you." Victor cast a worried look around the parking lot to make sure no one was watching their little exchange.

"Wait, first what if we get into trouble. And second who did this? How would they know what truck was ours?" Kitty's voice held the edge of panic but her face was stony as she waited for Victor to answer her.

"The truck smells like the guy at the bar and his friends. My guess is they waited till the bar was emptying and went for the truck they didn't know. They were most likely locals by the way they talked about driving the guy home." Marie answered.

"You can smell anything in this weather?" Kitty wondered aloud as a gust of wind dusted them in white powdery snow.

"I have the feral senses and healing for good now Kit. I don't have claws but everything else is mine." Marie explained with a shrug.

"That must suck." Kitty muttered.

"At times it can be a burden, but at other times it is very helpful." Hank commented.

"Wait. You can smell stuff too? I thought you were just flexible and I thought that was part of the looks somehow." Kitty was floored and hank began to chuckle warmly.

"I have the same enhanced senses as Victor; my healing ability is not on par with Victors but it is quiet accelerated compared to normal human healing rates. I even have a feral side too. How do you think I earned the name beast?"

"Huh, you know I never thought of that. You know what though? I'm freezing and since you all have healing abilities and I don't can we please get outta this blizzard?" Kitty's teeth were audibly chattering and Hank looked around anxiously.

"Good idea, remember Rapid Springs, two days Sarah's diner 6PM." Victor threw his arm around Marie's waist and she hugged herself to him for warmth. "Let's go babe. The cops will come when somebody notices the truck and we don't wanna be here when that happens." He said softly to Marie as he guided her towards the road.

"Get outta here!" Marie called back to her friends.

"Don't go near us though, it will seem too suspicious. I've tried tracking before without using my senses and you'd be surprised at how they catch people for doing stupid shit like that." Victor growled at them as he and Marie continued to walk across the parking lot. The wind was stinging Marie's face, she pressed her cheek to Victor's side and closed her eyes which were growing dry, cold and painful in the icy weather. She could feel them becoming drier and she reached up to find they had been watering in an attempt to keep them from freezing solid. The tears had frozen right on her skin but she hadn't noticed since she had been outside in the blizzard for a good 20 minutes already.

"How cold do you think it is?" Marie asked loudly to be heard over the howl of the wind.

"Minus 15 at least, my healing ability is near taxing and that happens only at minus 30 degrees" Victor answered roughly. He stuck out his thumb at an oncoming van going their direction and thankfully they slowed down. They ran toward the van, only when they reached it did the driver roll down her window.

"You two crazy? Ya'll 'll freeze yer bums off in this here blizzard. Hurry up and get inside." Her thick southern accent reminded Marie of home and she instantly felt safe with her.

"Thanks, our car died and we're headin' north." Marie said as she slid into the van followed by Victor right behind her. They closed the door behind them and Victor gave her a look that told her to guard herself.

"Where are you headed?" Victor asked quietly.

"Up to Vengeance Valley. I have a meeting to meet at 8AM and in this blizzard the planes are all grounded. So I was stuck driving. You wanna be let off before that or want me to drop you off in town?" The driver's scent was curious and friendly but she didn't push for too much information.

"I know where Vengeance is, it's on the way we're going." Victor answered. Marie curled up on the bench seat next to Victor and rested her head on his lap. The driver checked her rear view mirror and noticed Marie was already asleep and Victor looked like he hadn't slept for a week.

"Ya'll just sleep, I'll wake ya up when we get there." She offered quietly to not wake Marie.

"Thanks." Victor muttered as he rested his head back and relaxed.

The next thing he knew Marie's hand was behind him and it was stroking his skin softly. The van they were riding in was stopping at a red light and it the sun was streaming through the window so it was morning. "We're in Vengeance now." Marie whispered quietly.

Seeing a Burger King Victor cleared his throat. "You can let us off here."

"Ok, I wish ya both luck." She said as she pulled over to the side of the road. Victor grabbed Marie's and his bags and stepped out of the van with Marie on his arm.

"Thank you so much. We appreciate it." Marie grinned as she waved at their Good Samaritan.

"You're welcome. Bye!" she said as she pulled away.

"Go grab us some breakfast, a good amount of it too." Victor said with a nod towards the restaurant.

"Okay." Marie agreed before she walked into the restaurant. She ordered their food and paid then said she said she would be back in a minute. She headed into the bathroom and did her business and then freshened up. Grabbing her food on the way outside she smiled at her man, who was standing just outside the door. The harshness in Victor's eyes softened when Marie came into sight.

"Hey Vic, how far are we from the town?" Marie asked as she handed him his bag of food and coffee.

"About 12 hours drive. I saw a few cars across the road, old models I have worked with before. Pluck two wires and use a dime and we can drive it all the way to Ranghe. Ranghe is one town away from Rapid Springs. It would be too obvious if Hank and Kitty also took a car there and the two cars were found there." Victor smiled when he saw Marie give him a strange look. "What?"

"You know so much, and I'm always learning more about you." Marie said thoughtfully.

"I've been around for a long time Marie. Now that you have my healing ability I'll be right here with you as you learn different things too."

"I wouldn't want to learn it with anyone else." Marie whispered almost to herself.

"Good, because I don't plan to let you go." Victor growled possessively as his arm snaked around her side while they made their way across the street. Marie laughed quietly and Victor handed her the bags, she stood carefully balancing luggage, food and two cups of coffee. "Here's the hard part, getting into the car unseen. He slid a silver tool out of his pocket and quickly flipped it open and inserted it in the driver's door lock. A few quick movements and the lock popped up. Opening the door he took the bags from her and threw them in. "Get in." he instructed to Marie tersely. She walked around to the other side of the car and slid in. Victor had already cut the wires with his claws and slid a dime into the ignition. He turned the key holder and the car fired up.

He drove the car slowly through the town and as soon as they were out of the town and he was on a straight stretch of road, he put the pedal to the metal. "We'll get a hotel tonight in Rapid Springs."

"Sounds good, I wouldn't mind crawling into a hotel bed with a hot man after a hot shower." The last part Marie whispered but she was sure that Victor could smell why she wanted to be in a hotel alone with him. Victor chuckled deeply and tried not to think of Marie and him in a hotel room together.

Like planned they abandoned the car in Ranghe. After wiping their prints out of it and making sure there was no hair or anything in it that would tie it to them Vic and Marie walked down the road till they found a pay phone. Marie called a taxi and they waited patiently for the cab to arrive. Victor and Marie had talked the whole way up there about random things and every once in a while Vic would point out a tree and say what it was or share a random survival tip. But Marie still had plenty of time to think while they drove.

'Logan and Victor are really so much alike. Both Alpha males, both fiercely protective of their pack/family both were captured and tortured by Weapon X. Neither likes being told what to do and they will break rules just because they can. Both have great restraint when they want to but when they don't care they can have a horrible temper. Both have the inner animal that is always struggling for control. Now that I think of it, they really are so alike I can't pick out something they _don't_ have in common except for looks. They even like the same beers and hockey teams.' Marie snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a strange whimper come from behind a broken down store. Victor heard it too and he jumped up from the bench he was sitting on. Marie started towards the sound of the noise but Victor growled at her. She backed up and Victor sniffed the air.

"Stay here with the bags." He instructed as he walked off to investigate.

"Be careful." Marie breathed as she watched him walk away. Thoughts of traps and muggings and other horrible things flooded her head but she forced herself to believe he would be okay. Soon she could hear him walking back out to the road and she turned to look at him. He was holding something under his jacket and whatever it was, was moving.

AUTHORS NOTE: From one cliffy to the next. What is under Vic's jacket? Will they ever meet up again? Lots of things are hanging in the air. Anyone want another chapter?


	10. Of Ferity and Murder

CHAPTER 10

ONE DAY BEFORE

"Now what?" Kitty asked Hank as she huddled closer to him for comfort as well as warmth. Hank's arms wrapped around her tightly and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She shivered and Hank's arms when straight through her. He gave her a questioning glance and she stepped back.

"The cold, I can handle hot and cold fine as long as I stay phased." She explained. For the first time in over an hour her teeth weren't chattering.

"All right. I suppose we better get out here none the less. Can you hot wire that green van over there? It would be less conspicuous then that new pick up."

"Sure thing. I can't believe that there are still so many people inside. They are going to get snowed in if not careful." Kitty commented as she opened the unlocked door and began fiddling with the wires. "Okay, it's set. Get in." Kitty said with a smile as she slid into the seat of the van. Hank walked around the van as she started it and as soon as he was in they took off. Cranking up the heat to full blast Kitty smiled over at Hank nervously. "W-were going to be okay, right? After we get to the cabin? Marie- she'll make sure that Victor will let us stay there, won't she? We won't have to run forever, will we?" the waver in her voice hit him like a sledge hammer to the chest. Over the time they have been together they had become incredibly close. Nothing brings people closer than having to depend on the other person for your life.

"My dear, I cannot say for certain whether or not the cabin will be safe but I am sure that Victor would not kick us out unless we intentionally did something to endanger Marie or himself. I assure you though that I will do all in my power to make sure that nothing happens to you." Hank reached out a shaky hand and stroked her arm lovingly as he spoke and he could see some of the worry lines on her face relax.

"Thank you Henry." She whispered as she clasped her hand on top of his and gave him a watery smile.

"You are all I have left Katherine. I would lay down my life to save you. You are mine." Hank said firmly. The possessiveness of his words were not lost on Kitty but it felt good to be taken care of, to be worthy of possession. She was drawn out of her thoughts when she noticed Hank's tremors had increased.

"You need to stop taking that damned cure! Every time you take the cure the transformation is worse. What if the next time kill's you?" Hysteria was clear in her voice and Hank groaned in pain as his claws grew out from under his finger nails and hair began to grow. His fangs soon followed in the painful transformation. Within five minutes he was back to his normal blue fuzzy self.

"I have no alternative. I cannot go around looking like this and we can't drive this van all the way up to Victor's cabin, the police would be able to track it. As Victor has said multiple times; "you can't be overly cautious right now." I agree whole heartedly on that enumeration." Hank crawled between the front seats and went to the back of the van. "I am going to stay back here so we won't be spotted. Wake me if there is any trouble. If it's bad I want you to get out of here, don't worry about me." He barely heard her "okay" before sinking into a deep healing sleep.

'I can't wait to get to the cabin. No more running and hiding. Maybe we could get a chance at normal life again. I am glad that none of the others have noticed my problem; it is bad enough being on the run and not being feral like them. I can't keep up with them; I can't heal or tell when something is wrong. What if they think I am holding them back to far?' Her thoughts continued to twist until her stomach felt like it was filled with lead. A hand descended on her shoulder and she yelped loudly and the van swerved into the thankfully empty oncoming traffic lane.

"Relax Katherine it is just me. The smell of your fear has permeated the van. Has something happened while I was asleep?" Hank asked as he settled onto the floor behind the driver's seat. For the first time Kitty looked around and actually saw her surroundings. It was daylight now and if the clock was right almost noon.

"No nothing's wrong." She answered with a fake smile when she realized he was still waiting for an answer.

"Kitty…"

"I said nothing's wrong." She snapped hastily. "I will stop at the next mall I can for a set of license plates. Then I will get us some lunch."

"Is there something bothering you?" Hank asked when he could smell her fear and anger swell.

"I'm sorry for snapping. I am just a little bit frazzled." She apologized but the air was still tense until she pulled into a mall about 45 minutes later.

Changing the plates was rather easy with her mutation. She simply grabbed it, phased it and phased the old one out. Then she held it in position and replaced the new one. It took less than 3 minutes and they were off to a fast food restaurant. She darted inside to go to the bathroom and when she got back she handed a bag back to him. "I got your favorites."

She knew it was a cheap ploy to ease the tension in the vehicle but when she heard Hank's gentle "Thank you." She smiled in relief.

"We are only about 10-11 hours from Rapid Springs. I would like to drive there right now so we can get a place to stay and sleep before tomorrow. I have a feeling tomorrow after diner is gonna be busy. I drank a energy shot just a minute ago so I should be fine till tonight."

"You shouldn't be taking energy shots it is dangerous for-" he caught himself and quickly shut his mouth.

"For what?" Kitty asked warily.

"Katherine, I do not wish to cause you any more alarm. Stress will only cause your body harm." Came Hank's diplomatic answer.

"Hank, if you mean to tell me I'm pregnant and energy shots don't mix with pregnancy I already know." Kitty's voice was low but steady as she started up the van and began to drive away.

"You already knew then."

"Yes, I have known that I most likely was since we did it. I wasn't on birth control, we were both too preoccupied to use condoms." The silence hung heavily in the air and Hank cleared his throat as he though of his next words.

"I am sorry Katherine, I was so wrapped up in the joy of being alive that I didn't think of the repercussions. Thankfully at the cabin you can ease some stress. My MD degree will also be of use come the birth. I will strive to be the best father figure for our child as I can. And if you would do me the honor of being my wife, I would love to be your husband and provider."

"Yo-you are asking me to marry you?" Kitty stuttered in amazement.

"Well, if, yes. Yes I am asking you to marry me." The blush was obvious in his voice as he fumbled over himself.

"Yes. I love you Hank." Kitty answered happily. "But wait, how long did you know I was pregnant?"

"I knew a few nights after when I noticed your scent changing. Marie and Victor could tell too but they wanted to wait for you to tell us." Hank replied sheepishly.

"Thanks." Kitty muttered with an eye roll.

The next few hours were spent talking about baby names and what they thought Victor's cabin would be like. The next thing they knew it was dinner time and they were only 3 hours from Rapid Springs. Stopping to grab some more food Hank suggested they ditch the car. "No, I don't want you to have to take the cure again so soon. We'll grab another van. You can just jump in it really quickly. It's dark out so nobody will notice you."

"Alright." He agreed after giving her words a moment's consideration. They easily found a van in a wal-mart parking lot and Kitty jumped out and quickly tried the door. It was locked so she phased her head into the van and checked to make sure it was empty. It was so she unlocked the door and began working on it. She never heard the owner of the van sneak up behind her.

He grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around quickly, slamming her into the door. He raised his fist to punch her and said angrily "Hey there bitch. That's my van." No sooner had the words left his mouth a blue hand wrapped around his neck and began to squeeze. Hank slammed his head into the door well of the van and growled savagely. He spun the man around saw that he was already unconscious. With one last growl he tossed the man aside carelessly.

"You all right?" he asked affectionately as he nuzzled her neck and checked her scent.

"I'm fine, Hank but you have to get inside before someone see's you."

"He's not going to hurt you. No one will hurt you while I am alive." Hank said with a feral gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah, well if you're caught then you can't protect me. Please get inside." Kitty pleaded as she grabbed him and effortlessly phased him into the car and hovered him above the seat before dropping him onto it.

'Look normal. I'm just your everyday traveler grabbing my bag.' Kitty told herself that as she walked purposely slowly over to the old van to get the bags. Throwing them into the passenger seat she cast one more look at the still unconscious man and the words of her traveling companions echoed in her head. 'The law of survival.'

"What's wrong?" Hank asked as he looked around trying to see why her scent had suddenly sent off a wave of tension.

"I have to hide the body, if they find him he will tell on us." Kitty explained as she finished setting the wiring on the vehicle.

"He's not dead yet." Hank phrased it as a question but he knew what she meant.

"He will be able to say the car windows weren't broken. Plus he can identify us." Kitty said as she looked back at him nervously.

"You are right." He said after a considering her words briefly. "How do you plan to do that?"

"I'll phase him through the ground. That way there is no body." Seeing him nod in agreement Kitty steeled herself for her first act of murder. 'NO it's not murder. It is self defense.' She told herself as she looked around to make sure no one was looking. She put her foot on top of his chest and phased it and him through the pavement. She sank into the pavement till his body was about 2 feet down. She rose up onto the surface and quickly got into the van and drove off praying that his death would be painless and quick. Not a word was said till they reached Rapid Springs.

They rented a room at a local hotel Kitty left hank in the room as she drove the van to the center of the town. She left it where she knew it would be stolen and ran through the alleys of the town ignoring everything and everyone she saw on the way till she reached the hotel where they were staying. The smell of wet dog hit her as she stepped into the room and she smiled when she saw Hank drying off his fur, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm gonna hit the shower real quick." She said as she dug through her bag looking for a change of clothes. As she entered the shower she wished the hot water could wash away the guilt that she felt inside. When the water began to run cool she stepped out and began to dry off. Looking at the clothes she bundled them up and brought them outside while she was only wrapped in a towel. Hank was already lying in bed but he was watching her. The worn carpet was soft beneath her feet as she crossed the room towards the bed. Hank slid the covers back as she climbed into the bed and pulled them up around her shoulders. She sighed as she rested her head on his still slightly damp chest.

"I love you Hank." She whispered.

"I love you too, very much so. I was afraid after my display earlier you would feel less inclined towards me." Hank admitted quietly as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"What? You protected me. Why on earth would that make me like you any less? I was mad that you put yourself in danger of being seen but not at what you did. I was just worried for you." She answered as she looked up into his eyes. "In fact, I was afraid you would think less of me since I brought up killing that guy." She added with downcast eyes. He placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up to look at him.

"You were protecting us. I understand that and I am impressed you thought of it. I know you probably feel guilty about it but you were saving us a lot of trouble and most likely our lives. I love you all the more because you have the strength to do what needs to be done." With that he leaned down and captured her lips in his, erasing any doubts of his love to her with his body in a way words couldn't express.

AUTHORS NOTE: So… is anyone wondering what Vic has? How did you like hearing Kitty's point of view for once? Anyone besides me like feral Hank? Comments are a girls best friend!


	11. Question: How big is Victors thing?

Chapter 11

AUTHORS NOTE: Huge thanks to my continuous reviewer Wanda (who writes some awesome stuff, go check it out.) who was closest at guessing what "Victor's thing is" LOL. Also a huge shout out to the super fabulous Askita (if you haven't read her work go check her stuff out after this chapter) who is betaing this thing for me as well as some more of my fics. YOU ROCK!

Across town Marie jumped up and headed over to see what Victor had found. As she neared she noticed two bare feet sticking out from under his jacket. "Vic?" Marie asked as she touched the moving lump. With a small shriek the child's head rose out of the opening of the jacket.

"Well hey there little fella." Marie cooed at the young boy with curly red hair. He turned to look at her and she noticed he had bluish black eyes that showed he was an obvious mutant. She reached out a hand to touch him and he buried his head into Victor's chest once more.

"He can't be more then 2 years old. Parents must have dumped him here when the Mutant Extermination law passed. He is staving and his hair is dirty, but he had a home before." Victor said as he stroked the boy's back gently.

"Maybe he wasn't kicked out, maybe he ran away." Marie suggested optimistically. 'She's so fuckin' innocent.' Victor though as he wrapped one arm around her, cradling the child between them.

"No sweetheart, I'm afraid not." He rumbled soothingly.

"Wha-" Marie's question was interrupted by a taxi pulling to the curb. She ran over and grabbed the bags and slung them over her shoulder. Victor opened the door to back seat and slid in. The cabbie glanced back at him but didn't pay any special attention to him. Marie slid in behind him and held the bags on her lap.

"You can put the bags in the back lady." The cab driver offered as he looked at her in the rearview mirror.

"I'm fine holding them. Thanks though." She replied with a smile.

Victor gave the guy directions and they pulled away from the curb slowly. The little boy had not moved from Victor's chest and Marie reached over and stroked the curls that were peeking out of Victor's jacket.

Soon they were at the hotel and Marie went inside to get a key. Coming back out of the office, she saw that the little boy's cheek was resting on Victor's shoulders. Her enhanced eyesight could see the tear tracks down his cheeks and through the dirt and grime that was caked there. She could hear the slight faint rattling in his lungs from a cold and she noticed how in his fists he'd grabbed Victor's hair and jacket tightly. It made her heart ache to think anyone could abandon such a child.

Marie's shoes clapped quietly as she grabbed the bags and headed over to their room. Flipping on the switch she threw the bags by the bed and went and checked the bathroom. Seeing that it was empty she walked over and took the boy from Victor. His skin was icy cold and a wave of alarm went through her. "I am going to give him a luke-warm bath after I rinse off all this caked on dirt. We need some diapers, milk and a sippy cup." She rambled on as she walked into the bathroom.

"He doesn't need any of that stuff. Diapers he can use cloth tonight, which is what they used to do. We will just throw away the ones tomorrow and grab some disposables tomorrow in town. He doesn't need a sippy cup either, he may make a mess but that is why you teach him not to. They have to learn sometime. We have some powdered milk in the emergency bags I'll mix up for him." Victor said as he watched Marie begin to run the water, checking it to make sure it was the right temperature.

"How?" Marie asked with a raised eyebrow in Victor's direction.

"How did I learn so much about babies? I am a hell of a lot older then you, hon. I have had to deal with more than a few kids in my time," he answered with a gravely laugh. He began digging through the bag and pulled out a Ziploc bag of dry milk.

Satisfied that the water was the right temperature now Marie pulled the over sized red T-shirt off of the boy. Under it all he wore was an overly soaked diaper. She pulled the Velcro strips back carefully and eased the diaper into the trash can. The whole time he hadn't moved or said a word and that was starting to worry her. "Hey there sugar, you got a name?" he just looked at her questioningly and Marie looked up at Victor helplessly.

"Name him."

"What?" Marie asked incredulously.

"He needs a name if he is sticking with us, name him." Victor replied as he sat a hotel mug filled with milk down on the counter.

"Well what names do you like?" Marie asked as she lifted the boy into the shower.

"It doesn't matter to me. Just name him." Victor said as he sat down on the counter and watched her clean the kid.

"You know, I always liked that TV show Walker Texas Ranger, they had this hot guy in it." She pointed her finger at the little boy's chest and grinned. "I know you'll (we) be a heart breaker when you get older. (And) His name was Francis, so that will be your name."

"You're naming our son Francis?" Victor's words sounded so foreign that she turned to look at him. He had a mask of horror and shock plastered on his face and he stared at her like she'd just said she likes to eat dog turds.

"Yeah, you said name him and I bet he will grow up to be big and strong so Francis. And if you really hate the name you can call him Frank but I wish you wouldn't." Marie said as she turned her attention back on Francis.

Victor grabbed a towel and unsheathed his claws and quickly trimmed it to fit the boy. "Here is a diaper for Francis."

"Jeez Vic, ya don't have to say his name like it'll bite you." Marie chastised gently with a smile. "All done Francis. Now we are gonna give you over to Daddy and have him diaper you." She wrapped a towel around him and handed him to Victor who looked quite dumbfounded.

"Daddy?" He uttered weakly.

"He's our son now remember? Your words." Marie said as she leaned up on tip toes to give him a kiss.

"Yeah but I didn't expect 'Daddy'." He muttered as he heaved the boy over his head and playfully growled. "Now leave us men folk alone." That made both Francis and Marie smile and she quickly exited and closed the door behind her. As she changed into a loose T-shirt and crawled into bed she could hear Victor coaxing Francis to use the toilet. Then the water running as they washed their hands. After he did Victor gave a rough "Good job." And then she heard him rustling with cloth so she assumed he was diapering the boy.

When he opened the door again Marie's heart swelled with love for the man before her. In his arms was Francis curled up drinking milk from the glass like he hadn't drank in a week. Victor sat him down at the little table and lay the jerky and cheese packs before him. "Now chew this food very good before swallowing." He instructed firmly as he walked over to the bed and sat down next to Marie. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder.

"You're great with him." She whispered as her arms went around him and hugged him tightly.

"He needs all the attention and affection he can get. Some fucker handcuffed him to a dumpster. He was too little to climb into the dumpster for food and protection from the cold. He was left to die." Victor whispered back bitterly making sure that Francis couldn't hear them. They watched him eat for a few minutes and Marie stroked Victor's back lovingly. Victor knew all too well what it was like to be locked up when young and to be cold and starving. Finishing what was laid before him Francis turned to look at his rescuers.

"Time for bed." Victor informed as he stood up and grabbed the boy with a swoop in the air like a bird he brought him down on the couch across the room from the bed. He had already taken a blanket off the bed and he tucked it over the boy and tousled his hair before saying "Night." Victor strode across the room and flicked the lights off.

When he joined Marie in bed she whispered "How did you get the handcuffs off?"

"I always keep a spare key on me." He answered as he kissed her collar bone through her shirt. He had gone way out of his comfort zone to play daddy, now he needed to be reminded that he was still very much a man and was secure in himself. She opened her mouth to say something but his lips descended over hers and not a word was spoken for the rest of the night.

A few hours later Marie woke up to panting breath echoing in their hotel room. Victor's hand pushed her back to the bed as he accessed the situation. "It's Francis." Marie breathed when she realized what it was. She jumped up and ran over to his side. He was sitting up on the couch and she could smell his tears as they soaked the blanket.

"Baby, oh Francis, it's okay." Marie cooed as she stroked his face reassuringly. He clung to her closely and sobbed quietly. She stroked up and down his back and after a few minutes he had calmed considerably. She stood up carried him over to the bed.

"Wait, what are you doing with him?" Victor asked when he realized she intended to have Francis in bed.

"He is a baby still Vic, he's scared, he probably had a nightmare. When kids get scared their parents cuddle with them and try to make them feel better. He is going to sleep with us." Marie responded coolly as she sat down and lay Francis down between Victor and her. She lay down next to him and whispered soothingly "It's okay. Momma and Daddy won't let anyone hurt you." Victor watched them for a while in wonder as they drifted off asleep before he lay a protective arm over the two of them and fell asleep.

AUTHORS NOTE: I didn't mean to make Vic so OOC but I wanted to show he felt a kinship with the boy. Sheesh look at me. I hate kid fics and yet I am now writing a story with 2 kinds in it.


	12. the end for lack of a better name

Chapter 12

Victor woke up with a growing wet warmth over his stomach and he couldn't tell what it was in his half asleep state until the smell of urine assaulted his nose. "WHAT THE HELL!" he bellowed as he sat forward. The poor sleeping boy on his lap tumbled backwards and began to cry. Marie woke with a start and grabbed Francis and cuddled him to her.

"Vic you scared the shit outta him." She scolded as she tried to soothe Francis.

"He PISSED on me." Victor growled angrily.

Marie patted his bottom and sighed. "That is because his diaper is missing. He must have wiggled out of it sometime last night." Marie said as Victor stomped into the bathroom. Francis struggled in her arms and she let him down. He ran after Victor. Marie lept up to grab him as he pushed the halfway closed door open and walked into the bathroom. "FRANCIS NO!" She yelled but Victor had already noticed the intrusion. He growled and turned on the boy. For an awful moment Marie thought he would hit the boy. Instead he reached down and picked him up.

"Two things boy, one you pee in the toilet or outside. The second is you learn to knock on doors before entering them." Victor instructed as he tugged the boys shirt off and stuck him in the running shower. "You stink like pee now. Lets clean up." Marie audibly sighed in relief and Victor shot her a questioning glance. She just shook her head and walked back over to the bed and collapsed in a heap of limbs. 'Ahh this bed fells good. I am so glad that Victor is a better dad then I thought he would be.' Marie thought as she drifted off. She awoke later on to a thump on the bed and a giggle.

"Quit yer giggling, your ma's trying to sleep." Victor whispered sternly.

"I'm already awake." Marie mumbled sleepily.

"Go ahead and rest, I am gonna go find a new car." Victor said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Okay." She mumbled back. She never heard him leave the room and she never felt Francis curl up next to her. Marie awoke sometime late and opened her eyes and stared straight into bluish black eyes. "Hey baby boy. How are you doing?" He didn't answer but the hint of a smile flickered on his face. "Your daddy home yet?" she asked as she sat up feeling much more refreshed. She couldn't hear Victor so she knew he was gone still. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she heard the handle of the door jiggle. She got up and checked the peep hole. It was Vic so she let him in.

"Sleep good?" he asked and she nodded her head with a smile as his arms wrapped around her waist. She leaned up on tip toes to kiss him and he kissed her back enthusiastically. "We need to go now. We'll get breakfast on the road."

"Ok, will you take Francis in to go to the bathroom while I pack the bags?" Marie asked as she ruffled the boy's hair when she grabbed the bag from the floor next to him.

"Sure. Come on kid." He said as he swooped up the boy into his arms.

A few hours later the makeshift family of three were sitting at a diner. Francis had some child sunglasses on to cover his eyes and Marie grinned. "I'm starving. What about you kiddo?" She asked the boy.

He didn't say anything and Victor shrugged. "He'll talk when he feels comfortable." Their waitress came over and they ordered their lunch like any other family. A group of hunters sat down in the booth behind them and they both tensed when the overheard the men talking about their latest mutant killings. It was tense as they finished eating but they continued to talk as if nothing had happened. They calmly paid and walked out of the diner but Marie was shaken by the sudden reminder that life wasn't good yet. They were still hunted. She sent up a silent prayer for the safety of their friends.

They drove to a small park and got out. Victor put Francis in the baby swing and gave him a hearty push before walking over to where Marie stood trembling. "I am sick of this. Of being hunted. It scares me Victor." She clung to his jacket and looked into his eyes searching for hope.

"We'll be okay. As soon as we get to the cabin we will be safe. I'll take care of us." Victor promised.

"I trust you." She whispered as she pressed a kiss to his chest. The creak of the swing was dying down meaning the swing was almost stopped so Marie jogged the 15 feet across the playground to give Francis another push. He giggled when she pushed him so she stood there just repeatedly pushing her adopted son. Victor walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist possessively. Her inner animal was calmed by his presence and the majority of her tension melted out of her at his touch. "I love you Victor."

"I love you too." He murmured as his lips brushed the top of her head.

"Hey Francis, I love you too buddy." Marie said when she realized she hadn't included their newest member of the family.

"Yeah kid, that goes for me too." Victor added.

"e toooo" Francis said happily.

Shocked Marie jerked forward out of Victor's arms and stopped the swing. "What did you say?"

Francis grinned and said "e too."

"You too? What? you love too?" Is that what you mean?" he nodded at Maries questioning and was suddenly squished in Marie's arms.

"I'm so proud of you talking. You are such a big boy." She praised him heavily as she pulled him out of the swing. Victor took him from her and carried him over to a nearby tree and sat down. All three sat there for a few hours talking and encouraging Francis to talk more. By the time they left for Sarah's Diner Francis had said "wuv you too", "doggy" and "dada" and "mommy".

The ride to the diner was quiet and Marie was hoping that Kitty and Hank were already there. Victor tried talking to her to get her to stop worrying but she would only give him one word answers to anything he said. Walking inside the door Marie sighed heavily upon seeing the currently human Hank and Kitty sitting in a far booth waiting for them sipping on some iced tea.

They ate in with comfortable silence obviously relieved that the other parties had arrived safely. Initially, Hank and Kitty wordlessly questioned Francis's presence, but Marie and Victor played if off like he was their natural born son and he had always been with them. The earlier reminder of their wanted status made them very aware of the possibility that the hunters were everywhere. They continued their meal in amiable chitchat, and soon left in Vic's newly acquired car. After filling each other in on their much varied experiences of the last two days, including how they discovered Francis and Kitty finally getting her pregnancy out into the open, everyone felt a little better. Especially Kitty, she hadn't realized how frightened she was of their reaction until they had welcomed her with open arms. It was a huge weight off her shoulders.

Finally they turned off the main road and onto a dirt road. Everyone in the car besides Victor was eager to get out and explore the cabin since they had been driving almost nonstop only taking breaks to stop at the bathroom. After what seemed like forever they pulled up to a house sized wooden cabin. "Dude. That is the cabin?" Kitty asked as she took in the wrap around porch and the second level with its balcony and rocker.

"It will keep us for a while." Victor replied with a grin. Stretching as he stepped out of the car he grabbed his and Marie's bags while Marie grabbed Francis. Hank grabbed Kitty's bag and his own and quickly walked up the porch.

"This place is marvelous Victor. I had no idea it would be so grand." Hank commented as Victor walked up onto the step and began unlocking the door. Swinging it open the others realized that living at the mansion would be middle class compared to this place. There was a giant 72" TV set with complete surround sound stereo and every imaginable accessory attached to it. They walked through the house and Victor pointed to the stair case.

"Your room or rooms are upstairs. I'll show you around the rest of the house later." Victor said before he dropped the bags and led Marie into what looked like a restaurant quality kitchen. Hank and Marie could hear them talking about the food when they trudged upstairs to see their new room. Opening the first door they came across they found a large mahogany four poster bed complete with matching amour and dresser sets.

"If this is roughing it I think we can handle it." Kitty joked as she walked across the room and flopped onto the bed.

"I couldn't agree with you more." Hank replied with a smile.

AUTHORS NOTE: So… This is it everyone. Because my beta asks there will be an epilogue but this is the end of the story. What did you all think? So far this story has gained the most reviews over any other story I have posted. That makes me so happy. Thanks to ALL of my reviewers and my awesome beta Askita.


	13. a cry in the night

EPILIOGE (chap 13)

A baby's wail pierced the silent house and Victor growled into the pillow. "Hey quit growling into my stomach you are gonna scare our baby." Marie joked sleepily. Victor turned his head and realized his pillow was in fact Marie's stomach. Her slightly rounded stomach showed her 2 month status and Victor couldn't be prouder. As unsure as he was around Francis he had to admit that every time their little boy growled or called him 'Daddy' it melted his heart. From the day he could smell her pregnancy he had been walking around a proud man. It had also caused some problems when Hank had gotten too close to Marie but they were dealing with it fine since Hank also had a feral side to deal with. Sabertooth came into full control whenever he perceived Marie was uncomfortable or anything and it brought out a new side in Marie. Through her multiple touches of him through the past few months she had the inner beast too. It had morphed in her psyche to fit her but she was just as growly as he was these days.

"He'll be fine." He mumbled as he pressed a kiss to her stomach gently.

"He? It's gonna be girl mister." Marie growled at him playfully.

"Either way _**I'm**_ naming the kid." Victor's tone brooked no argument and Marie laughed.

"We could have 2 Francis's? There is a female spelling and a male spelling." Marie offered with a small laugh. At Victor's growl she stroked his head lovingly. "Na, I don't like the name Francis for a girl. What about Victoria?" Victor's growl turned to a purr at the thought of a girl named after him.

"What if it's a boy?" he rumbled sleepily as he looked at the clock. 'Only 3 am. Damn that kid makes more noise than Francis. I suppose Angela is cute for a kid parented by Hank and Kitty. Blue furless skin and fangs. Quite unique.' Victor was brought out of his thoughts by Marie's Voice.

"Little Vic. His name would be Victor but we could call 'im little Vic."

"Er. I don't like it."

"Logan?" Marie offered with a straight face. Victor's head snapped up and he growled ferociously at her before noticing the twinkle in her eye. His scowl lessened and Marie started laughing outright at him.

"NOT funny." He grumbled as he rested his head on her stomach again. "Now go to sleep frail. We're going hunting later on tonight." Marie's claws unconsciously slid out at the thought of the hunt. Her claws had developed just like Vic's after multiple touches and now she had the exact same mutation as him. "Getting a little excited there are we?" Victor laughed when he noticed her eagerness.

"I haven't hunted in a few weeks. I'm restless." She defended with a smile as she inspected her claws.

"Yeah but Hank enjoyed hunting last week. He seems much more relaxed these days now that he lets the beast out every so often. It's good for 'im." Victor replied sleep evident in his voice.

"Yeah it is." Marie yawned as she stretched back out onto her pillow. Life was good now. Just days before the Mutant Extermination law had been reversed when scientist finally agreed that they were condemning human/mutant kind to extinction. Even though the law had been revoked Hank and Kitty were still staying in the cabin with Vic and Marie. They were a pack now and they planned to stay that way. Content in the realization they were safe and finally home Marie and Victor slept deeply.


End file.
